The Demon Grows [Training, Private]

[Tipu no Zakuji]

SPOILER: Click to show

Kousou no Shisei (Upper Level Posture)
Rank: "E"
Skill: Taijutsu
Effect: A stance with a sword held above the head.
Special: ---
Drawback: ---
Description: JKousou no Shisei is the most aggressive of the six stances of Gyakusatsu and offers the highest peak of offense. The user brings his/her sword above the head held in a double axe-handle position with the dominate hand held near the apex. This stance is used to optimize the user's initial strength and bodyweight for heavier swordstrokes and counters. The feet match the positioning of the hands with the dominate side in the forefront.
Limit: Gyakusatsu

0/5

The sun had set and only the fire which bloomed amongst the rocks and grass that surrounded him cut through the darkness.  Rokurou did not sleep like normal men and spent his nights training and days traveling.  The darkness ruled overhead so it was not a path that he walked but mastery.  In his right hand he held his katana, on his hip he wore his nodachi, and he prepared himself to learn another stance through which he would kill more men.  This one was rather aggressive; it offered little defense, not that the Demon concerned himself with that, and left his chest and legs wide open for attack.  He gained, however, a very advantageous position offensively because such attacks originating from such a position were quite harmful to those on the receiving end.

He raised his blade up above his head, shifting himself and pivoting on his left foot, showing his left shoulder to the invisible opponent in front of him.  His chest bore an angle to the right of his target and his left hand was held higher on the grip than his right.  He was left handed and so the left hand would provide the speed and momentum of the attacks while the right hand worked to guide, held slightly under the left.  His left foot was pushed out, pointing towards the target, while his right foot mirrored the angle at which his chest was held.  He brought the blade downwards a first time, not putting that much force into it, practicing the positioning from which offensive attacks would be borne.

He brought it back up, trying to replicate what he had done before, and brought his blade down with force this time.  It flew through the air with a resulting "whoosh" whose sound did not satisfy the Demon.  He brought it up again, this time planning to put more force into it and lean into the attack, thrusting his chest forward, pivoting at his waist and bringing the blade down to bear.  He indeed did so and found himself listening to a WHISH! that cut the air smoothly.  His resting scowl broke into a devilish grin as he attempted the stance and cut again.  It felt good, and the attacks brought down from such positions were sure to cut through defenses like butter.

[Mist]

+ 5 - learned

[Tipu no Zakuji]

SPOILER: Click to show

Hitoshirenu no Shisei (Rear Hidden Posture)
Rank: "E"
Skill: Taijutsu
Effect: A stance with a sword held behind the body.
Special: ---
Drawback: ---
Description: Hitoshirenu no Shisei is the most deceptive of the six stances of Gyakusatsu and offers the highest peak of surprise attacks. The user brings his/her sword down to the waist pointing away to the rear of the body in order to hide the full length of the blade and only show the pommel to the opponent. The hands are held with the dominate hand at the hilt. The user's feet are opposite of the hands with the dominate foot in the rear of the stance.
Limit: Gyakusatsu

0/5

The only sound that pierced the silence of the night was the crackling of the fire. It's warmth fell of the flames in droves, driving back the cold winds that seemed to enshroud the night. Rokurou, confident in having learned the High-Level stance, decided to move on to another stance. The one that he planned on learning was a trick stance; meaning that he would plan on using it to bring about surprising death blows the the unsuspecting. It would not work, he thought, on worthy opponents but he wasn't always in the business of killing worthy opponents. Sometimes he just needed an opponent to die, worthy or not. This would help that.

He mirrored the stance on his last move, moving his weak side forward. His right foot was pushed forward and his left was pulled back and his right shoulder pointed towards the imagined opponent in front of him. His chest would point away in almost the exactly opposite angle of the high-level stance that he had just learned. It was weird because it was backwards and he made several minute chnages to maximize the efficiency of the stance before he was satisfied. With a quick and dextrous flick he spun the katana in a 180 degree direction; it pointed towards him instead of away from him.

He moved the katana so that only the guard and the hilt would be showing. Sucha a technique would not work for his nodatchi which was so long that it would surely reveal itself on the other side due to its massive length but the katana was nestled in a spot of no visibility. But the stance had it's flaws; he had nearly no defense and any attack worthy of being called an attack would not be able to be deflected. His attacks would take quite a bit longer due to the plain position of his blade; it was really in an inconvenient spot. Nevertheless the positive side was plain: it was an easy way to feign passiveness. He brought the blade forth, taking much longer than he would like, and imagined stabbing the invisible opponent in front of him.

The move was slow because he had to spin the blade back to where it pointed away from him but it would be faster than the enemy attempting to unsheath his own blade when he clearly did not have a chance. Rokurou would be content with that.

[Nira]

+5 Learned!

[Tipu no Zakuji]

The night was quiet and Rokurou had added another technique to his repertoire of stances.  He was going to begin learning another stance when something broke the silence: footsteps.  The Kamyuja clansman growled.

"You wish for this to be the last time you see the stars, stranger?  Leave before I bathe in your blood." he warned.  He looked around warily, not finding the source of the footsteps, but waving his katana in a malicious way.  "Hey! I'll kill you!" he warned again, growing more and more suspicious.

"You won't kill me." came the voice; a woman's voice at that.

"I've killed women before," Rokurou stated with a relieved chuckle, "You don't know who I am, do you?"

"You look like a Majin man, but that can't be right, because they're all dead." she said coolly.  The relief that had just filled Rokurou melted.  Who was this woman?

"What do you know about the Majin clan?" he said in a low, dangerous tone.  The light that bled off the fire finally flickered to reveal the approaching figure.  She was a short woman, white of hair and tough of face, who wore a blue traditional garb and a single katana on her right hip.

"I know them to be fierce warriors." she said.  She looked at him as if some artificer was eying an ancient idol.  Rokurou turned and brandished his katana.

"Then you'd know that I am about to kill you for wandering so close." he said, but even he knew that he wasn't going to make a move.  There was something about this woman, something about the way that she stood, that made her look extremely dangerous.  That katana on her hip looked well worn, and it would be dangerous, he figured, to attack this woman.

"You hardly know which way to hold that katana you keep brandishing.  Where's your discipline?  No wonder you're so weak, Rokurou, how you managed to keep your clan for so long is beyond me."  Rokurou's mouth dropped.  She appeared like a spectre and knew as much about him as he did.

"What are you?" he said, dropping into one of his Gyakusatsu stances.  He became almost animalistic very suddenly, his instincts kicking in like some wild beast.  He craved the blood of the woman almost immediately and his temper began to lash out like a whip of fire.  His previous indecision forgotten, he moved his blade downward in a ferocious motion.

Like water, she coolly drew her blade and parried it.  The strong slash of the katana was driven away from the target harmlessly.  She moved quicky, quicker than any opponent he had ever faced, and drove the butt of her katana into his arm.  For all his muscles he dropped his sword into the ground and before he could put his hand into a fist, her blade was at his neck.

"I am Mai Miyazaki," she told him, speaking as if they were sitting over a freshly brewed cup of tea, "and if you're going to learn to kill, you aren't going to kill with Gyakasatsu."

"Wh-" Rokurou began, but before he could start again, he was cut off.

"You're worthy enough, I think.  Look at you.  You're a monster.  But talentless.  I'll teach you how to kill: Buredono Kenseijin.  You got it?"

"You? Kill?" Rokurou said, but the laughter boiling up in his throat was cut off by the sharp tip of her well made blade.  He choked on the laugh.

"I'll accept your tutelage" he said resentfully, "but this will come back to bite you.  I will kill you after we have finished."  She smiled.

"If you can, then that makes me a hell of a master."

[Tipu no Zakuji]

Seigan no Kamae and Chudan no Kamae
Rank: "E"
Skill: TaiJutsu
Effect: Two basic stances used in the art of swordsmanship.
Special: ---
Drawback: ---
Description: Seigan no Kamae, Chudan no Kamae The Seigan and Chudan no Kamae are similar in every aspect when it comes to looking at the opponent, having their feet placed down upon the floor, as well as the amount of pressure they have between both of their legs. The user keeps their right or left foot forward having their toes pointing forwards. Their opposite foot is shaped in an "L" shaped keeping their legs in equal motion. Their feet are perpendicular from one another as face forward their feet and legs are in shoulder width apart. This is used as a basic formation to where the user can move from either defensive, or defensive movements. For the Seigan no Kamae stance has their hands relaxed, grasped against the handle of the blade in question. The sword is pointing in a forty five degree angle as their arms are relaxed, hands close towards his hips as one would wait and relax. For the Chudan no Kamae the user keeps the same foot work as that of Seigan but their hands is brought up towards chest level as the sword that they hold is slightly more gripped proof. The sword is pointed forward as the blade is pointed down towards the ground. These stances are mostly known for parrying and blocking, as well as making quick attacks upon the opponent.
Limit: Must Learn from a Master of Burēdono Kenseijin - ブレードの剣聖人 - Blade of the Sword Saint

0/5

"First, as with Gyakusetsu, you must learn the stances. There are two I want to teach you know." began the teacher. Rokurou hesitated. Instead of asking 'why are you doing this if you know who I am' he decided it was best to keep quiet. He was learning more about the art of killing. Instead he nodded, slightly annoyed that he would have to obey this woman's command and not to do as he pleased. Nevertheless, he listened, for now.

"Show me already, then." Rokurou growled impatiently. His imposing stature apparently did not affect the girl who seemed nearly tiny in comparison. Instead she shot him an annoyed look and continued. She took the first stance.

"See here, the body is relaxed and ready. The stance is easy and the blade is held in a stance of perfect balance. Unlike those stances you were practicing before, these ones are actually practical stances." she held it easily and Rokurou hesitantly attempted to copy it.

"Is your balance balanced between both legs?" He grunted in the affirmative. He held his blade towards her, as they were facing each other, and had to adjust the way his feet were aligned before he could look almost an exact copy of her. It took him a good minute to perfect the stance while it took her half a second. He frowned when he realized that fact.

"Okay, remember that. The next is much the same. And you will stand in these for the next ten minutes, switching back and forth, until I am satisfied." she moved into the second position. Rokurou howled in laughter.

"Ten minutes? You're no master of mine, remember that, you came to me. I won't do such stupid practices." he finalized, crossing his arms as he delivered his denial. She paused for a second, looking as if she was deep in thought and as if she might strike the Demon at the same time. Then she opened her mouth.

"Fine. Half-ass the stances. If you want to kill me, you won't be able to with a shitty stance. I'll lope off your head and turn your body into a puppet to scare the village folk with." she said with a sudden ferocity. It did not frighten the Demon, though, and he only smiled.

"We'll see." he said, and copied the second stance. The duo were not too compatible, that much was clear, but they were slowly moving along. Rokurou got most of what he wanted and managed to, as she had said, half-ass the techniques. He learned the stance very quickly, though, and when Mai asked him to recreate the stance without watching her, he was able to do it.

[Nira]

ooc: Yay, teacher-student time!

+5 Learned

[Tipu no Zakuji]

Kokoromanako (Mind's Eye)
Rank: "D", "C", "B", "A", "S"
Skill: TaiJutsu
Effect: By fighting on and on, a user becomes more proficient when an attack may come by. This happens usually when the user becomes unable to see the attack. However by being in combat for so much they can feel when an attack is coming making them less able to be flanked.
Special: ---
Drawback: The user may only learn this technique by the class that they are. This means that in order to learn the "C" Rank version they must be "C" Class, if they wish to learn the "B" Rank version they must be "B" Class.
Description: A technique where the subconscious mind, where the subconscious body reacts just as they are attacked while flanked or while their back is turn. The body reacts in such a way to where they are capable of withstanding so much. This technique makes it where the User is incapable of being surprised attacked, a sudden second sense kicks in as their body screams out to them yelling at them telling them to move, duck, dodge or anything else within that manner. This works on whenever they are being attacked. This technique however has a major flaw. The user is capable of dodging only whenever the opponent's class is equal or lower to that of the rank of the technique they know. This means that a "D" Class user that knows this technique cannot use this against an opponent that is "C" Class or higher.
Limit: Must Learn from a Master of Burēdono Kenseijin - ブレードの剣聖人 - Blade of the Sword Saint

0/10

"How proficient are you at blocking attacks you do not know are coming?" asked the sensei although neither of them referred to her using that title. Rokurou scoffed as if to question why such a ridiculous question could be asked. A moment of hesitation hung in the air before Mai realized that Rokurou was truly a savange, completely unschooled in the superior techniques of the blade. To those such as him, questions of the nature similar of that which she just asked would sound like nonsense or sorcery. She sighed.

"You are an instinctual beast, Rokurou, you need to tap into that power." she said under closed eyes. Rokurou towered above her, his arms crossed. He gave her a look of befuddlement and annoyance.

"What do you mean, woman?" he groaned. She looked back up at him. For a moment, she thought.

"Close your eyes." she commanded.

"Not this stupid shit again." he complained.

"I can teach you to stop attacks with your eyes closed." The ultimatum she gave, which sounded to the savage like supernaturalism, grabbed his interest. The annoyance turned to curiosity, as much as it could be possessed in that terrifying face, and it looked almost childish.

“I don't know why you didn't teach me that first.” he told her, eyeing her suspiciously. To him, such talents were thought to be beyond the grasp of ordinary humans. He was not raised amongst ninja and to him, even manipulation of chakra was rough and untrained at best. To him, the life of a swordsman or calvaryman was the life of a warrior; hidden vilages and shinobi were not known to him.

“Close your eyes, then.” she told him. He was persuaded and hesitantly closed his eyes. She moved her blade, very slowly, to his stomach.

“Do you feel anything?” She asked. For a moment, she thought of killing him. As she would later find out, she should have gave into that impulse. The blade hovered over his stomach but the steel did not touch him.

“No.” he said, as if he no longer believed what she had promised could be brought about. She paused, seemingly annoyed.

“You have to pay attention to your body. It is not that you are not feeling it, it is just you are not noticing it. Pay close attention.” She told him, bringing the blade back and pushing it close again, slowly, but dangerously enough that his body would notice the difference. And it did.

“Take that blade away from my stomach!” he screamed, opening his eyes and batting the blade away with palms the size of Mai's head. She was caught off guard, and the sword flew from her hands and disappeared in the dark grass below.

“You did it.” She said, smiling, “but don't ever knock my blade from my hands again.” Whether she said that out of warning or embarrassment, he did not know. He laughed, though, a laugh that boomed through the dark forest that surrounded him. As he thought back, he did indeed feel something. It was almost like a voice, a very faint screaming, that seemed to originate from his abdomen. Although the blade was not touching him, he could sense it. He did not know what mystical power such power beheld but he became, suddenly, very excited about learning more about what superhuman techniques this lady had to teach.

[~Emi~]

Sorry, but it only looks much due to the talking. +7

[Tipu no Zakuji]

7/10

"You do have the instincts of a swordsman." she mused with a smile.

"So what?" Rokurou replied with a grunt. She looked at him mildly, then-

"Kage Bunshin!" she yelled, and two clones of her appeared right next to eachother. Rokurou stepped back slightly, a look of utter surprise on his face: a mixture of terror, awe, and suspicion.

"What is this!?" he yelled upon witnessing his first ninjutsu technique in his life.

"No time, fight me!" she yelled, swinging her blade. He parried it and watched as the two clones moved around, exposing either flank.

"What are those!?" he growled, blocking another blow.

"Keep your eyes on your opponent!" she yelled, delivering another blow. He blocked it, only barely, tearing his eyes off the clones that had sprouted from smoke. Then he turned to the offensive, making two consecutive attempts at her neck, thinking that she had turned wild. She could not parry them given the force of the blow, but blocked them. The sound of steel against steel rang in the night. Firelight flickered like glowbugs off the dancing blades.

Suddenly something was screaming at his right side and he turned, seeing one clone making a stabbing motion at his torso. He sidestepped the blow, driving his elbow into the clone and destroying it.

"You don't need eyes to fight!" she yelled, bringing his eyes back to her. But something was know approaching him on his left side. He did not see it, but he ducked instinctively, bringing his dark eyes upward to witness a blade screaming over him, one that would have surely killed him should he not have dodged it. The clone was lethargic and he was able to cut through it while still half-crouched.

But he did not have a second to breathe before he had to roll out of the way of a blade crashing down upon him. The blade did meet Rokurou's flesh but rather the flesh of the earth, biting into the hard ground as it's arc ended.

"You're getting good." she said through quick breaths.

"Are you going to tell me what those were!?" he screamed, panting and confused.

"No," she said, finally, "but you're going to fight some more. Kage Bunshin!"

[Draven]

Learned

[Tipu no Zakuji]

Jissenetoku (Combat Perception)
Rank: "C", "B", "A", "S"
Skill: TaiJutsu
Effect: By analyzing and keeping an eye on the opponent's shoulder and foot work the user is able to predict movements and grab a feel of when attacks are going to come by making the Burēdono Kenseijin - ブレードの剣聖人 - Blade of the Sword Saint a more proficient fighter.
Special: ---
Drawback: The user is only capable of predicting movements’ one rank below then what they have learned. The user is only capable of predicting movements that are TaiJutsu Based. Any other type of movements cannot be predicted.
Description: The way this technique works is that the user observes certain points of areas of the opponent's body such as the shoulders, thighs, and hips. Since attacks are focused on these points they are capable of making educational guesses towards points of contact that may occur within these certain points. This type of technique is a study where the user is capable of watching an opponent's movements for a brief moment of time predicting TaiJutsu techniques. When the user first learns this technique they are capable of predicting techniques of "D" Rank capability. When the user learns the "B" Rank version of this technique they are only capable of predicting techniques of "C" Rank capability. When the user learns the "A" Rank version of this technique they are only capable of predicting techniques of "B" Rank capability. When the user learns the "S" Rank version of this technique they are only capable of predicting techniques of "A" Rank capability.
Limit: Must Learn from a Master of Burēdono Kenseijin - ブレードの剣聖人 - Blade of the Sword Saint

0/30

Some thirty clones, a legion of the sensei, stood in front of the Demon of Kiba. He growled in anger and in preparation for battle. Rokurou rarely felt fear, for death came to all, but he did feel anticipation. He frowned at the army that stood in front of him. Which one was the real one?

"Predict the strikes." She said, simply. A single eyebrow was lifted on Rokurou's face, indicating his suspicion and confusion. He did not have time for words as three of her rushed forth. They did not attempt to flank him as they did before but stood in front of him.

The one one the left was the first to move. She rushed forward, her blade up in the air. Predict the strikes, she had said, but she did not say that it was going to be this easy. She was the first one to move from the group and thus her strike would come first. Her blade was up in the air and thus it was easy to tell that her blade was going to come down in a vertical strike. Rokurou lifted his blade in a horizontal fashion that stopped the downward strike in it's tracks. He sent a foot forth, ending the clone's existence. The other two were right on the first's heels and did not plan to take turns striking. Unable to block the two attacks at once, Rokurou jumped back from the two horizontal strikes. The second, who was the middle one, was the first to recover from her missed strike and followed up with a spin. Rokurou could see that the momentum would carry her blade in a horizontal arc that could be blocked by a parry. At the moment she extended her arm, Rokurou brought his own blade down upon it, sending the spinning blade down to the ground. He did not have time to kill her, it seemed, because the third was holding the blade close to her stomach, pointing at him. He knew that she was going make a stab at him but knew that stabs were difficult to parry. He stepped on the blade of the disarmed clone and moved his abdomen out of the path of the quick stab of the third clone. Instead he countered with his own horizontal strike, slicing through both of the clones' heads at once. They both collapsed into smoke.

They would not allow him to rest, it seemed, as more flooded forth.

"Good!" came the real Mai, somewhere in the flock, "Anticipate and retaliate."

Rokurou issued an intimidating growl and watched as four or five bolted forth with swords in various positions. Two of them made stabs at him which he spun in between and knocked away with his own blade. He sent them back with a swing of his own sword; they dodged by leaping back. Two others began by sending a dizzy flurry of blows towards him.

One blade came at him at his two o'clock which he parried and fluidly moved his sword to block the attack coming from his 10 o'clock from the second. Somewhere beyond him Mai was telling him to anticipate their attacks to defeat them. As he defended the series, he took half-second looks at their shoulders when he could manage. They seemed to tell the tale of their attacks. The shoulder of the left clone shifted and Rokurou saw it: she was going to strike at his 11 o'clock. He sent his blade to defend it before the swing came; the sword bounded off of his and he, while ducking a blow from the right clone, sent a quick stab to the clone's chest. It perished in smoke. Rokurou now stood against the other 4 rushing against him. The steel that was sent against him at first beat him back as he was sent in a quick backpace with his sword in a gray daze. How many more were there to be?

[Tipu no Zakuji]

??/30

Quite suddenly, Rokurou had become engrossed in a frightening and reminiscent memory. Rokurou has experienced the pride felt when a swordsmen was able to ward off several assailants at once...but it seemed a lifetime ago. The residual fear of death still lingered, an anxiety that could engineer precision or overcompensate. In every dance, a slip up ended in death; it would have to be perfect. For a swordsman, this performance is an audition for his life.

All this Rokurou felt as he saw a regiment of this woman bear down upon him.

Normally when forced into such a dance, oddly enough, Rokurou played conservatively. He believed he had a decent ability to predict attacks, enough to survive in such events, but his skill was not that of the caliber in which he was comfortable playing aggressively. But the training was working, as it had been specifically designed by the master to do so, in increasing his sight.

In the flood of battle, Rokurou began to see small indications: shoulder moments, wrist pivots, and ankle pivots. His eyes would have to be drawn in, not to focus on the swords but on the battle at a whole. The skill took time to perfect and only in few, brilliant moments is the apprentice able to use such eyesight.

The ferocious swordsman, the prodigy of the Majin, found these moments of brilliance briefly. He could withdraw while fighting off such numbers but these moments when he would draw in he would anticipate the movements so quickly that he could buy enough time to make a strike. Such moments ended in the explosion of smoke and the end of the clone.

Rokurou did not think in those moments, but performed. Instincts took over, those honed by the mixed lineage of things greater than men, signaling in a knee-jerk manner that sped faster than his mind. As he continued to fight, he would beginning to see the fruits of his labors. Through several breaks and several attempts, as the sun rose, Rokurou had fought back the final clone and collapsed with an exhaustion he had not felt since the Majin days.

[Tipu no Zakuji]

Rokurou had finally given in to the will of the master. She had proven her ability by completely exhausting the swordsman without having to swing her actual blade. The Majin was hesitant to believe himself bested, the feeling was too close to that of his father still being alive. The thought had put him in a sour mood.

Rokurou grudgingly took the suggestions of Mai and followed her to a low-end tavern for a bit of rest and food. Rokurou had made a scene when Mai had forbade him from ordering alcohol but the Demon, who had begun to ignite rumors in the tavern, eventually obeyed. Mai was not Kamyuja and required sleep and left Rokurou to his devices in the small, shared room.

"There is no honor in slaying you while you lay." He growled under his breath, his eyes resting upon the woman who had been able to defeat him in single combat. "The final feat of the apprentice is to slay the master." He continued, reassuring himself with an old Majin saying. It was several hours before they left; the sun was beginning to set when they had set out from the tavern for more training.

[Tipu no Zakuji]

??/30

"When you fight, what do you see!" Asked Mai as they descended into a clearing through a marsh-like field. Rokurou's focus had been absorbed in watching his steps and the question had surprised him.

"Enemies." He grunted, "Swords. What else is there to see?" He asked, not expecting an actual answer.

"That's all you see?" She said, but Rokurou thought he heard a bit of mockery in her tone. He clenched his teeth in response to the insult; anger began to bubble on the fringes of his thoughts. But what was worse than the insult was how badly it had hurt his ego; his rage doubled when he realized he had begun to care what this master had begin to think of his skill.

"Well that's not all I see!" He retaliated, attempting to improve her disposition towards his skill, "I don't pay attention to any one thing," he began, explaining what he had encountered of what practitioners of BK call Combat Perception, "I see all movements, how Mai walk, how Mai thrust...and I can stop it." There was silence as they entered the clearing. Rokurou could not determine the master's reaction as he followed her into the grassy clearing. They were surrounded on all sides by a ring of trees.

"You are beginning to see. But just beginning." She said cooly, turning towards him. Her sword was unsheathed. In the dying light of the day, without a fire to illuminate the darkness, she planned on training still?

"No clones this time; just you and me." She told him. Rokurou hesitated. Never in his life had he faced an opponent so fast or so skilled and he nervously greeted every challenge she issued. He prepared himself, nodding at her, shifting his weight in the familiar and recently learned stance.

She wasted no time. She moved fluidly, clouding all attempts at predicting movement, and lashed out with a single horizontal strike. Rokurou reacted lately, only just bringing his blade up in time. Rokurou's eyes, as they had always been, focused almost solely on her blade. Because of this, he could only react to her lightening strikes.

There were brief moments, however, in which he would withdraw enough to get a good look at her entire body as she moved. It took a while to confirm that, indeed, her shoulders were betraying her but once noticed, Rokurou found himself doing more than simply reacting. The way he moved against her strikes began to improve in almost a counter-offensive manner. Blocks became parries and the parries eventually became counters. Though he was sure that her strength and speed were not up to their full potential, he was able to finally beat back Mai.

Finally the sun fell, ending the light and making sparring impossible.

"That's enough" she stated through shallow breaths. "You've improved quite a bit."

[The Roar of the Falls]

Good deal. Learned.

[Tipu no Zakuji]

Tenchi Hasso no Kamae and Fudo no Kamae
Rank: "E"
Skill: TaiJutsu
Effect: Two basic stances used in the art of swordsmanship.
Special: ---
Drawback: ---
Description: Tenchi Hasso no Kamae , Fudo no Kamae , The Tenchi Hasso and Fudo no Kamae are similar to that of closely towards that of Seigan and Chudan no Kamae to where the footing is quite similar. The user keeps their right or left foot forward having their toes pointing forwards. Their opposite foot is shaped in an "L" shaped keeping their legs in equal motion. Their feet are perpendicular from one another as face forward their feet and legs are in shoulder width apart. With the Tenchi Hasso no Kamae the user holds the sword more closely towards their sides. The body is slightly slanted a little more as the user holds the sword tightly. This is mostly used for a defensive form of the stance as the user keeps the sword pointing upwards. For Fudo no Kamae the user uses this stance in more of an offensive form. The user would face the opponent as their arms are raised up holding the hilt of the blade. The sword is slanted in a diagonal form but the user keeps this stance and holds it tightly. This stance is mostly used for attacks that deal with downward strikes, but as well as the type of movements for confusing the enemy with sliding attacks.
Limit: Must Learn from a Master of Burēdono Kenseijin - ブレードの剣聖人 - Blade of the Sword Saint

0/5

Rokurou, now slowly accepting the fact that he was once again an inferior, had fetched wood for a fire. As the night came on, he stocked and then lit what came to be a decent blaze.

"After I boil some water, we will begin again." Mai stated as Rokurou stared into the fire. It was a while before she was back with water. Rokurou had since grown impatient with the trivial chores Mai went about but kept his voice quiet.

She stood up and kept near the fire, the only source of light in the area.

"Now I will teach you the basics of Burēdono Kenseijin. We will begin with the stances." She said, sliding into a stance that was all too much like his Gyakusetsu stances. He decided, this time, to voice his displeasure.

"I've learned this! Gyakusetsu is the same thing!" He said, and to prove his point, he showed her the Middle Level Stance which, in truth did share many similarities. She frowned. Walking over, she moved him only slightly to alter the stance to match it's Burēdono Kenseijin counterpart. She widened the legs by kicking at his feet and made them more parallel to each other.

She lowered his sword arm closer to his side.

"That's Tenchi Hasso no Kamae. Show me your Upper Level Stance." He did so. She moved his arms down to where they were lower than his head and shifted his feet again to match the stance that he had just made.

"And Fudo no Kamae." Rokurou held these positions, memorizing their requirements, switching back and forth between the two to test his memory.

"From these we will use real techniques. Not Gyakusetsu shit."

[Tipu no Zakuji]

Mai struck quickly, more quickly than the Demon had ever witnessed, killing him instantly.

The legend of the Demon died there.
--Scrap

((not feeling it with this one, unfortunately. I'm going to try something else.))

[Father 'Suke]

Scrap approved